--- title: "semmonen" book_form: "semmoinen" translation: "That kind of. Like that." type: "word" category: "puhekieli" url: "https://finnishirl.com/words/semmonen" canonical: "https://finnishirl.com/words/semmonen" published: "2026-10-01" updated: "2026-10-01" author: "Andrey the Nomad" site: "Finnish IRL" license: "https://finnishirl.com/terms#ip" --- # semmonen URL: https://finnishirl.com/words/semmonen Book form (kirjakieli): semmoinen Translation: That kind of. Like that. Pronunciation: /ˈsemːonen/ Category: puhekieli Archetypes: spoken, reaction Region: Finland Register: neutral spoken Finnish Literal meaning: Of that kind. Tone and safety: Safe. Leaning on it makes you sound vague, and sometimes that is the point. Published: 2026-10-01 Quick answer: - Semmonen means that kind of, or a sort of. It is the spoken form of semmoinen. - It comes in a set of three, because Finnish sorts things by distance: tämmönen for something here, tommonen for something over there, semmonen for the thing already under discussion. - Its second job is hedging, and that is the one that trips people up. When a Finn says semmonen vähän hankala tilanne, the situation is not slightly difficult. It is bad, and they are handing it to you gently. What it means: - It describes something by kind instead of by name, and it points back at something both speakers already have in mind. - English gets by with this and that. Finnish makes you choose between tämä for what is next to you, tuo for what is over there, and se for what is already in play, and it carries that same choice all the way through the vocabulary. - So tämmönen, tommonen and semmonen are the kind-of versions of the three. Finnish has three precise words here, and the third is the one that went soft. Book form vs spoken form: - Written semmoinen, spoken semmonen. The -inen ending loses its i exactly as punainen becomes punanen. - Sellainen is the more neutral written equivalent and turns up in speech too, usually as sellanen. Semmonen is the warmer and more colloquial of the pair. How Finns use it: - As a plain description: semmonen iso vihree talo, that big green house of the kind we mean. - As a hedge in front of an opinion. It softens whatever follows: se on semmonen vähän outo tyyppi. English gives that job to sort of, and Finns use it more. - Se oli semmonen, no, semmonen laatikko. It also holds the place while the right noun is being found, and nobody minds the stall. - As an approximator with numbers and times, where it means roughly. Semmonen kaks tuntii, about two hours. Se makso jotain satasen, it cost about a hundred. - The distance rule still applies underneath all of it: tämmönen is this kind here, tommonen that kind over there, semmonen the kind we were talking about. Tone and safety: - Nothing risky. Used in quantity it makes you sound imprecise. In a difficult conversation that is the point. Common mistake: - Treating semmonen and sellainen as different words. They are near-synonyms and sellainen is the more neutral. - Missing the hedge. This is the one that actually costs you: semmonen vähän hankala tilanne means the situation is difficult, and the speaker is handing it to you gently. - Answering the hedge with reassurance. If the words have been softened, the useful reply asks what the actual problem is. Examples: - Se on semmonen pieni juttu. - It's a small sort of thing. (written: Se on semmoinen pieni juttu.) - Mä haluun semmosen ku sulla. - I want one like yours. (written: Minä haluan sellaisen kuin sinulla.) - Se kestää semmonen kaks tuntii. - It'll take about two hours. (written: Se kestää noin kaksi tuntia.) Mini dialogue: A: Millanen se uus pomo on? B: No, semmonen. Vähän hiljanen. A: Ai jaa. B: Ei se paha oo. FAQ: Q: What does semmonen mean? A: That kind of, or a sort of. It is the spoken form of semmoinen. Q: What is the difference between semmonen and sellainen? A: Very little. Sellainen is the more neutral form and dominates in writing; semmonen is warmer and more colloquial. Sellainen itself usually comes out sellanen in speech. Q: What are tämmönen and tommonen? A: The same word at different distances. Tämmönen is this kind here, tommonen that kind over there, semmonen the kind already under discussion. Q: Why does Finnish need three of them? A: Because its demonstratives split three ways where English splits two. Of the 234 languages surveyed in the World Atlas of Language Structures, 88 make a three-way distance contrast and 126 make the two-way one English uses. Q: Why do Finns use semmonen so much? A: Because it hedges. Putting it in front of an adjective softens the adjective, which matters in a culture that does not enjoy delivering a blunt verdict. Q: Is semmonen bad Finnish? A: No. It is spoken Finnish, and semmoinen is the written form. Related words: punanen, niinku, kato, ma, sa, mun, oon, ei-oo, ihan Sources: - Distance Contrasts in Demonstratives, chapter 41 (The World Atlas of Language Structures Online, Holger Diessel): https://wals.info/feature/41A - VISK § 720 - tämä, tuo, se, nämä, nuo, ne (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=720 - VISK § 261 - Laaja johdostyyppi ja sen alatyypit (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=261 - VISK § 713 - what pronouns are (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=713 - VISK § 862 - particles in self-repair: eiku, tai, siis, niinku (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=862 - Kielitoimiston sanakirja: semmoinen, sellainen (Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://www.kielitoimistonsanakirja.fi/#/semmoinen